Did you change the filter w the mod? If so ensure you didnt leave the old filter grommet in place when you installed the new one and that the filter is seated fully. That could cause the jerking and having to rev to engage gears by allowing the filter to suck air from the poor seal at the grommet.

Are valve bodies compatible between years? I know there are a bunch of year to year changes.

Did you open the vb up and check that all the balls and filters are in the right places?

Yes we changed the filter and yes we removed the orange ring that was stuck up in the vb. The filter was Motorcraft. I remember seeing a small brown piece of paper that came in the box with it. I couldn't figure out what it was for or why it came with the filter.

As for the check balls and lil filters, honestly I couldn't tell you if he had them in the right spots. I just assumed he knew what he was doing.

Oh and the first test drive was with no filter! He forgot to install it first go round.

Originally Posted By: thedanned

Did you change the filter w the mod? If so ensure you didnt leave the old filter grommet in place when you installed the new one and that the filter is seated fully. That could cause the jerking and having to rev to engage gears by allowing the filter to suck air from the poor seal at the grommet.

Are valve bodies compatible between years? I know there are a bunch of year to year changes.

Did you open the vb up and check that all the balls and filters are in the right places?

couldn't find the springs... paper is just in the box to keep the metal from rusting on the filter. 02-04 vb... shouldn't be any drastic changes, use the same separator plates....

I am still on the manual valve being on the wrong notch... MLPS being off could be an issue too, but that shouldn't have been affected unless it was directly touched.

1-2 with spring delete, you will feel the transition always, there's a stronger...jolt for lack of better words... with increase throttle. It will seem to shift into 2nd a little soon if you feather it, but the more you give it, the later it should shift. My 2-3 is kinda weak, just enough to squeak the belt at WOT before upgrading to the 190A alternator. 2-1 downshift should be pretty close to instant, I usually break loose, but that's full throttle most of the time. 3-OD should have improved slightly, but will probably still be sloppy, that's a whole other ballgame.

If you have nothing unless you give it gas, gear timing is not right, missing gears, other problems, you will probably need to drop the pan again. Make a quick inventory of what you have, ex. no manual 1 or 2, does it start out in 2nd in manual 2, reverse was acting screwy, does OD seem to work right... then drop pan, make sure everything is plugged in correctly, make sure the manual valve and lever are in the right notches, should be the last from the end, if nothing obvious, dig deeper. Like I said in the other thread too, the 2-3 accumulator holder nipple sits right on top of that separator plate. Cracks cause direct and forward clutch issues, if there's a bunch of hairlines under it, replacing that could even help, provided no other issues are present. On mine, I had a nasty 1-2 flare, either my fluid still hasn't broken in yet, or HD separator plate fixed that.

I'm no expert on the matter, but if it were me, I would go back to the valve body that came with my car. I don't know enough about the changes made from year to year to be comfortable with the idea of swapping in parts from other years, especially with something as critical as the valve body.

I just did my J-Mod on Friday, and I had the same problem, except I knew it was fluid level, as it went away once the transmission is warmed up.

I just don't get why you didn't just drill out your own valve body. that way you know it was done right. You were 85% of the way there just removing it from the car. Do you still have your original VB? if so, re-install it and see if that solves your issues. Hopefully running it w/o the filter and sucking air didn't hurt the trans.

As for right now, do like hellraiser said and take stock of what does and doesn't work, then PARK THE CAR AND DO NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT WHATS WRONG!!!! If you keep driving it as-is, the likelihood of permanent damage just keeps going up.

the more I read the problems you have, I am pretty sure its a pressure problem. Either there something is wrong with the valve body you installed, a check ball is missing, or its the wrong valve body for the transmission in your car. 2001 and up valve bodies are different from 98-2000 valve bodies and 96-97 valve bodies are different from 91-95 valve bodies.

It's also possible you used the wrong valve body gaskets during assembly.

This morning when I left to work the initial jerk was gone and the shift into 2nd was smooth?

I did add a half a quart last night.

Could being a 1/2 qt low on fluid cause the symptoms I was describing?

Like I said, when I left to work I pressed the gas expecting that first jerk on take off. Didn't happen. I stopped four times and took off at different speeds to see if I could feel it. Seems like it is gone.

The 1-2 shift is a whole lot smoother. Still fast but no jerk to it with light to moderate throttle. It still chirps the tires if I hit the gas hard.

Since your out driving around with known issues anyway, why not take it to a shop and have them take a quick look and give you some guidance? Without knowing what is wrong you may be damaging it more with every mile driven. I wouldn't lay blame on the installer if this thing grenades at this point. It should be takin apart as many times as it takes till its right. I know, it's not a fun job, I've done plenty of them..

The balls only fit comfortably one way. Did you count how many you had VS. how many pockets there is for them?

Did you use an inch pound torque wrench? In sequence?

You may very well be dealing with an air pocket from driving with no filter. It may even fix its own self, but that could be a serious gamble.

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